


An Interest

by insight_ful



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Boarding School, Humanstuck, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-26
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-09-19 23:58:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9466448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insight_ful/pseuds/insight_ful
Summary: Boarding school is something that you never thought you'd get to attend. Yet you find yourself in one of the dorm rooms of one of the country's most competitive ones. Now, you got here thanks to some family friends, and there is no way that you are going to ruin that for some stupid interest. A troublesome student that is apparently terrified of your roommate doesn't seem like someone you should be getting involved with. Not when it could potentially get you kicked out of the school.Why? Because his father is the dean and he doesn't want him getting involved with anyone either. Not that you're "involved" with him in that way. You're simply interested.





	1. Chapter 1

Never in a million years did you think you'd be attending boarding school.

Not at all. Your family simply couldn't afford it. Yet here you are. 

The passenger seat of your dad’s beat up truck is uncomfortable, yet you find that you don't look forward to getting out of it. 

You like to believe that you are a very independent young man, able to take care of yourself and everything you may need. You aren't afraid of being alone through this semester, but you're unsure. It's never something that you've actually had to deal with before. Your entire life you have been surrounded by family and friends that you know, but here, you're a stranger.

Unfortunately, this school is practically across the country.

Well, maybe you're exaggerating a little. It's only a state away from your hometown of Portland. 

However, it is still very far to you. A city outside of Los Angeles, California. 

Too far South of your home for your liking.

You've actually taken it upon yourself to compile a list of complaints in your cell phone as you noticed things. Just on the drive down you reached number eighty-seven. That one being that it's too hot. Almost a full ten degrees warmer at the moment, according to your weather app. It may not seem like much, but it's making you rather uncomfortable.

You did not dress properly for this situation. You wore a sweater, of all things. A thick wool one, with a turtleneck to top it all off. And your black jeans certainly do not help. Not to mention that your father’s truck doesn't have air conditioning. You suppose you can only expect so much from someone who’s only job is as a public speaker. That's why you couldn't afford anything other than public school until now, after all.

Lucky you are to have a friend that hails from a higher class family. The Maryams, for the most part, absolutely adore your family. And when they heard that you applied for a few grants in attempt to get into a better school, they happily handed over the money to pay the rest of your way in. All that your father had to pay for was room and board, which isn't too bad. 

You have a roommate that you haven't met yet, but that helps make your stay cheaper. No single rooms for you, as much as you'd like one. 

But you have been assured multiple times by the school that your roommate is LGBT friendly, feminist friendly, and even vegan friendly. Not that you're a vegan. Vegetarian at most, but you do still eat select meats on rare occasions just to keep up a very healthy level of proteins without having to take special supplements, nor having to have an abundance of different beans or other protein filled veggies in your diet. 

So, you're sure that your roommate will be okay. 

If he is not, you can always transfer rooms upon request. But only to another room in the male wing. As much as you protested having to stay there without even the option of a co-ed housing unit, you have been told that you must room with a male. But you can somewhat understand. The place will be filled with hormonal teenagers. And hormonal teenagers typically have an increased sex drive. Seeing as some of them may not know exactly what they're doing, co-ed housing could lead to an abundance of teenage pregnancies. 

You find that your mind is slowly pulled away from that thought as you pull into one of the parking lots on the school’s property. Your dad forced the truck into park with more force than he should probably need to use, sighing as he looked up at the dorm building in front of you. All of your bags are in the bed of the truck, and you have already insisted that you're going to carry them all to your room on your own. You don't want help.

A short conversation is exchanged between you and your dad before you lean over and hug him. Well, as short as a conversation with you two can be. You both talk a lot. 

Soon enough you are out of the truck, typing up another complaint on your phone as you head to the back to retrieve your bags.

Number eighty-eight: the palm trees around are already messing with your allergies, and you think you will have to invest in quite a bit of medicine for just that. 

A terrible start to your time as such a great school. With a thirteen percent acceptance rate, you should really be more excited to be spending your senior year here. It's like the Harvard of high schools. Run and funded by a wealthy family from New York. You've heard that they have a mixed Greek and Italian heritage too. 

Maybe you know too much about the family that runs the school, but who knows. That information may come in handy one day. 

For now, you thank yourself for your smart packing. Four bags stuffed to the point that they could hardly zip. Plus a backpack in the same state. You load yourself up with your bags. Backpack, two duffels, and two rolling suitcases. Most of what you packed are clothes, but you did bring a considerable amount of personal belongings too. 

Your favorite Maryam, Porrim, even gave you enough money to go out and purchase a few things for your room once you're settled in. 

You almost denied it. The family had already helped enough with what money they gave to get you into the school into the first place. However, as was always the problem, you come from a lower class family. You didn't have the money to blow on that sort of thing. Any money you had beforehand is in a college fund for yourself. You have high hopes of getting a scholarship to a good university. Attending this boarding school should increase those chances.

As you drag yourself and your bags towards the sidewalk leading up to the main doors of the dorm building, you stop to turn and wave at your dad. This is the last that you'll be seeing of him until the holidays. You don't have the money to visit home over the weekend or fall break, so you're just going to save up whatever you may manage to get while you're here for winter break. Then you can buy people back home gifts and stay with your family for awhile. It will be nice.

You can't believe that you're already thinking about this before your dad is even gone. He has already told you that he isn't going to pull out until you're up in your room and text him to ensure that you didn't forget anything in the truck. So, you head into the doors, a shorter boy exiting holding one open for you since your hands are full. 

A thanks is thrown his way as you pass. 

Now you just have to find your room. 

It shouldn't be all that hard. Third floor, room twenty. 

You're very happy with the room you were placed in. It's on the third floor out of seven, and you've never really been able to handle heights terribly well. A room on the sixth floor wouldn't be too bad though. At most you'd get a bit of an anxiety attack from looking out the window on occasion.

And the bottom floor would also cause a bit too much worry. If there happened to be any sort of water based disaster that could reach the campus, the first floor would be the first to go. 

Third floor felt like a good medium. Not too low, not too high. 

Perhaps you should look into methods to stop yourself from worrying so much. 

It may just be the anxiety of being left on your own that is causing it though, so you will not stress about being stressed too much. If it doesn't go away within the week, you may look into it, but first day nervousness is to be expected.

The first thing you notice once you stop worrying is that you are underdressed.

Not in the sense that you should be wearing a tie. More like you shouldn't be wearing a sweater knitted for you by one of the Maryams and a pair of jeans from your local Walmart. 

Maybe you'll look into getting some new clothes. You've heard that Forever 21 has some good deals, despite their men's section being fairly small. Yet another tip from the Maryams. They are truly the best you could ask for when it comes to family friends. Miracle workers, if you will. They did get you where you are now, after all.

But the other students filing off the elevator you were about to board were dressed nothing like you were. Shorts that sat above the knees, pastel button down shirts, overpriced watches. Their apparel makes you look down at your handy little digital wrist watch that you got a few years back with a slight frown as you enter the now empty elevator, letting go of one of your suitcases to press the button with a three in the center. Thank god for elevators. You would not be able to haul all of your bags up the stairs. You simply don't move about enough to have the endurance for that.

The elevator stays empty aside from yourself as the doors close, and you’re glad that it does. You are not yet prepared to meet anybody new. You are sweaty, improperly dressed, and you are almost one hundred percent sure that your hair is a mess from the wind outside.

Hopefully your roommate won’t have arrived yet, or they won’t be in the room when you do. 

Impressions are important to you, and being a gross mess is not the way to make one. 

But you aware that your luck will run out at some point, so you choose not to hope too much. If you ended up walking into the wrong room you would not be surprised. All you can do is try your best not to let that happen. 

You fear that your luck is already beginning to run out. The elevator actually plays elevator music inside. Which, you’re confused by. The lobby didn’t have any music playing. You don’t understand why they’d choose to play a monotone tune in the elevators but nowhere else. Maybe they’ve just forgotten about it. That may get annoying as you adjust to the building.

If only you could get out faster.

Elevators always take longer than they need to, but since you’re only going to the third floor, the doors open soon enough. You find the handle on your suitcase and start rolling down the hall, staring at the room numbers on the doors as you pass rather than paying the slightest bit of attention to the other students that walk by. Some rooms are open, where boys are setting up their decor and rearranging furniture, while others are closed and not one sound comes from behind them.

Once again, you hope your room will be surrounded by the quiet ones. 

Room twenty. A nice, even number. While it isn’t your favorite number, you still like it. The room to the left is silent, and the one to the right has the door open. But that open door just leads to a dark room with nobody inside. Maybe they just went to grab something? You suppose you will find out later.

When you test your doorknob it is unlocked.

Oh no. Your roommate must be inside. You take a deep breath and compose yourself before pushing open the door and dragging your things inside. 

You are greeted with an odd sight. A guy, probably the same age as you, sitting cross legged on a well made bed with his eyes closed. You guess he may be meditating. He has no reaction to you entering the room. 

Looking around you find that he has already declared one side of the room to himself, and has it decorated to his liking. Dark tapestries on the wall, string lights in the shape of skulls, a lava lamp. You’re not entirely sure what to think. The decorative sugar skull on the dresser leads you to believe that he may be of a hispanic heritage, but you know better than to say anything out loud until that is verified.

The bedspread is just as dark as the tapestries lining the walls as if he’d attempted to make them his own wallpaper, and are adorned with what you can only describe as “trippy” patterns. 

He doesn’t seem too bad. He just has an affinity for dark colors.

At least you think so.

You’re not sure what you’d do if you found out that he was part of a cult or something, but you choose not to put too much thought into it at the moment. You have some unpacking to do, after all.

Looking to your side of the room, you find that he’s already rearranged the furniture for you. At least you assume that he did. You’re pretty sure it wouldn’t have been set up like this, seeing as your bed is at a forty-five degree angle instead of even with the wall, and your bedside table is at the end of it.

On the bright side, you get the closet. He already claimed the dresser as his own, so you guess that the closet is all yours. That’s just fine to you. You’ll have less clothes to fold, and less wrinkles too. You’ll just have to make sure that you have enough hangers for everything. You should be fine for now though. It’s not like you have a huge wardrobe.

You elect to leave the furniture how he had adjusted it for now, just in case he really wants you to keep it that way. You’re not sure why he would, but you’d rather not risk some sort of weird outrage on your first day here.

Instead of moving things, you drop all of your bags onto your bed, unzipping them all so that you can get started.

You begin with your clothes. The two duffel bags were stuffed full of them, and there were just a few things in one of the suitcases too. 

You get right to work hanging things up, organizing your closet the best that you can. Pants on one side, shirts on the other. Underwear and socks on the little shelf up top. Instead of organizing like you would back home, you mix all of your t-shirts in with the sweaters and hoodies. Why? Because that way you can organize them by color instead. You take it from white to red. A backwards rainbow including the monochromatic colors. White first since it’s the absence of colors, then grey, and then black since it is all of the colors. 

And then, of course, pinks and purples to red. You even did your best to organize according to the exact shade. You’re very proud of yourself by the time you’re done. With a smile on your face, you turn around to grab your shoes and put them in the bottom of the closet just in time to see your roommate approaching you. 

He doesn’t say anything, but instead just gets about a foot or two away from you and stares. You’re around the same height. He looks taller, and like he weighs less, but some of the height thing might just be from his hair. It’s like an afro, only with less ringlet curls and frizz and more of those bouncy ones. Both are present, however. Maybe he is mixed race. Or maybe you’re just assuming too much and he’s a normal human being.

You’d think with how much you preach about treating everyone as equals, you’d do the same. But you are aware that you have a bit of a problem with making assumptions.

For now, you decide that instead of talking, you will just copy his actions and stare. Stare and take in his appearance. 

He has dark brown eyes, but they have little specks of a dark blue scattered in with it. And his skin is dark, but it sort of looks like he has a lighter shade painted on to look like some sort of skull. Not too light though. Just a few shades lighter than his actual skin tone, so that it almost looks like he just tanned awkwardly. It’s probably makeup.

You aren’t sure how you didn’t notice that part earlier.

Or how you didn’t notice the piercings. Nothing major. You don’t even know the proper names for some of them, but from what you can see there are only four, and two of them are on his ears. You think those are called gauges. They’re smaller ones, so you aren’t quite sure. They could always be the faux ones, since they aren’t actually open circles.

A few minutes pass before you say anything.

“Hello. My name is Kankri Vantas. I’m your roommate.”

 

You stop yourself there, not wanting to continue on and end up rambling before he got the chance to introduce himself too. But he doesn’t. Well, he sort of does. He introduces himself in sign language instead of with his voice. 

Luckily, you took it upon yourself to learn the basics of ASL back in middle school.

It only takes you a moment to translate what he had said. He’d moved his hands slowly, probably expecting you to know very little. Most people were clueless when it came to sign language. You are proud that you can at least respond to him in it.

However, he then goes on to tell you that he can hear you. Selective mute. Or just completely mute. You’ll find that detail out later. So instead of continuing struggling with sign language to talk to him, you start using your voice again.

“Well, it is very nice to meet you. I didn’t expect to have a mute roommate, but it won’t be a problem, I assure you. That is… if you are a mute. I apologize if I am wrong, but seeing as you’re using sign language, I just assumed so. I’m afraid I’m not the best with sign language, but I did learn most of the basics a while back, so with some practice I should be able to communicate with you just like anybody else!”

There is a big smile on your face. A real one. You’re very happy with your roommate so far. He may look a little bit creepy, but he likes equality, and you won’t have to worry about him being loud. 

He also doesn’t seem to mind you being a sweaty mess. Or at least he hasn’t said anything about it if he does.

And after a while conversing, you learn that his name is Kurloz, he is part hispanic and part African-American. Just as you suspected. You also learn that he is very nice. At least from what you managed to observe and understand from his sign language.

He even helped you move the things on your side of the room. That, and he allowed you to take full control of the desk in the room. He said he wouldn’t be needing it. So, you got to set up your laptop on it and full the few drawers with some of your extra supplies and medications. 

You’re pretty sure that he has more furniture coming. That’s probably why he gave you the desk. He seems like one of the people who have a wealthier background than you. That’s what you expected from any roommate you’d get. This is an expensive boarding school, after all.

By the time that you have everything unpacked and your bags put away, you would consider him a friend. And when he starts telling you about some of the other students that he knows from previous years, the roommate that he had last year piques your interest.


	2. Chapter 2

Cronus Ampora.

When you first heard that name your immediate thought was Greece. Cronus is the name of the King of the titans in ancient Greek history. You took an entire online course on the subject last year. Cronus is the titan that took power from his father and then went on to eat all of his own children in order to ensure his safety. 

So with that in mind, you certainly did not expect the guy that you saw in the pictures that Kurloz had available to show you. 

Just pictures snapped on a phone for who knows what reason. All of them either slightly blurred or high quality pictures at bad angles. From what you can get from those, he doesn’t look like the type of guy that would be able to take power from his own dad.

But yet again, you tell yourself not to make assumptions like that.

Cronus just looks like he time travelled from the 1950’s. Complete with slicked back hair and a leather jacket. There was even one picture where he had a cigarette, but it wasn’t lit. You think he might have just had it for show. 

Regardless, you’re still interested in him. Why? Hell if you know. Honestly, you think that you just want to learn more about him. Why someone with a name like that looks and presumably acts the way that he does. And you also want to ask why he is afraid of Kurloz.

That was something that you were told about. 

At the beginning of the year things were apparently just fine, but by the end he was practically terrified of him.

Now you can see why some people might be terrified. He paints his face and doesn’t talk, after all. That and the decor that he chose for his side of the room could lead people to think some pretty wild things. Even you, since you did sort of assume that he was part of a cult.

You just want to know why after a year of rooming with him someone would be scared like that.

Apparently that is why you’re his roommate now. Cronus requested to switch, and he got to. Reportedly his roommate this year is a Spanish soccer player. Sounds less scary than Kurloz, so he’s probably fine with that. 

For now you have decided not to worry too much about it. You have more important things to attend to. There is only four days until classes start, and you still have to hunt down all of your classes on the campus and greet the teachers. You used to do that for your teachers in your normal high school, so why not here?

Plus you’re pretty sure that you’re supposed to get your books beforehand. No idea why, but you do. Luckily you already ordered them, so you just have to go down to the library and retrieve them. 

So that is what you set off to do. You empty out your backpack and put it on. Only after switching out your sweater for a t-shirt though. A red academic team one from back home. Better than nothing, you suppose. 

Kurloz waves you goodbye as you head out the door and down the hall of the dorm, towards the stairs this time instead of the elevator. Since you aren’t carrying anything heavy you have no reason to take the lazy route. But when you have all of your books and you’re on your way back up you will for sure.

The staircase is empty as you expected. Nobody likes taking the stairs. You don’t even like taking the stairs. You’re just forcing yourself to keep up some healthier habits to help ward away any depression that might decide to come along with you adjusting to this new place and being away from home. 

At the bottom you push open the door and come into the side of the lobby, looking around for any sort of map that you can find. There is a large one of the campus, and a collection of pamphlets on the side. Logically speaking, one of them has to have a smaller map on it, so you approach and look for one that does.

There are a few, but you decide to choose one advertising what is called an “Equality Club”, but as you read into the packet you can see that is more of a club for the LGBT population of the school. You can only assume that they were trying to be subtle about it.

The map highlights gender neutral bathrooms and where the club meets, as well as places that will allegedly function as gender neutral locker rooms too. The school apparently doesn't provide an actual one, but the club has repurposed a few old rooms. Basically, from what you can tell, they just put lockers and a bench in some rooms and called it a day

You grabbed this one specifically because you're interested in joining. You've always been a fan of getting involved in extracurricular activities, and this seems like it would be the perfect one to start out with. Now, there will be a showcase for all of the available clubs and even some sports the day before classes start, and you will be checking things out there too, but you like having a head start whenever you can. One club to join. 

For now you ignore all of the gender neutral bathrooms and such, more focused on finding the library on the map and figuring out how to get there.

For a high school, the campus is pretty big. You'd compare it to a college. It makes sense though, since it is the most prestigious school that you know about. The wide variety of classes offered must require a lot of space.

Your dorms seem to be towards the east end of the campus. The library is in the very center along with the administrator's office. Not a super long walk, but it is a longer one than you'd like it to be. You're still not used to the heat, even if it isn't much different.

The most subtle differences are the worst. It makes things here seem too much like home, and you don't like that. If you have to be away from your actual home like this, you want to be in a completely new environment.

Maybe you'll get lucky. Instead of being the smart kid at school that everyone gets answers on the homework from, you can be the average one. 

Not that you want to be average. You're extremely proud of your intelligence. It's just a matter of things being different. And you'll have to get used to people not being quite as dumb as back home too. Anyone smart enough to get into this place has to have a near genius IQ. Either that or a very large sum of money and a steady stream of ways to cheat their way through school. From what you've read online, this place lets Freshman take AP courses. In your old school the only AP courses available were US History and Chemistry. This school offers 17 different advanced placement classes. Not to mention five foreign languages or the options for up to a ninth period. 

What you signed up for is eight. The required day is the normal seven period one. Forty five minutes for each class and a lunch period. There is no homeroom since you live on campus, but that allows for longer passing periods between classes. So you signed up for the best courses that you were qualified to. 

You opted to take your required senior level classes last year, so this year you're open to take as many classes that offer up college credits as possible. And thus you enrolled yourself in two different English classes, a psychology course, Latin, music theory, world history, microeconomics, and just for fun, seminar.

You've always been told how boring that sounds. You agree, but you take school very seriously. If you signed up for only fun classes you would have no reason to be wasting money on such a prestigious school like this one. 

School is for learning and preparing for the future that you want.

Because of this, the library is one of your favorite places. As soon as you walk into the one on campus however, you're disappointed. Sure, the architecture is impressive and there are plenty of books, but it's nearly empty. Not so much as one of the cushy looking chairs filled.

The library doesn't seem too popular.

On the other hand, the librarian seems very happy to see someone come in. She nearly pounces out of her chair as you approach the desk, wrangling a folded up piece of paper from your pocket. The receipt for your books, just in case you'll need it. 

“How can I help you?” The corners of her lips turn up in an almost mischievous way. You aren't sure why.

“Um, yes, hello. My name is Kankri Vantas, and I need to pick up textbooks? I ordered them online from here.”

Yes, the school library did sell the books. You aren't sure why the place operates so much like a university, but it's almost comforting. Different from home.

Maybe you should start a comparison chart.

You're pulled from your thoughts by the librarian springing into action and going into a back room, presumably to get your books. 

Instead of letting yourself complain about her lack of manners, you just sigh. You're in a library. You love libraries. There's no need to start associating negative things with that.

It only takes a few short minutes for the librarian to return to the front desk, her long, curly hair bouncing along with her. “Here are all of your books, Mister Vantas. Seven textbooks. How many classes are you taking?”

She’s a more fun librarian than the one back home. The school librarian there was a grumpy old woman with glasses as thick as your pinky finger. 

Perhaps you’re developing a problem with exaggerating things. You aren’t even sure if glasses can be made that thick in the first place. Now you’re interested to find out. You’ll have to look that up once you get your laptop connected to the wifi in your dorms. Maximum thickness of glasses.

“Thank you. I’m signed up for eight different classes,” you heft the pile of books into your arms, unsure of how someone smaller than you managed to carry them all. You’re even having a bit of trouble yourself. Textbooks are heavy.

The librarian continues to talk, and you just block her out. She’s rambling on a such high speeds that it’d just be pointless to even try and listen. Your mind is more preoccupied with other things at the moment to listen. However, you do manage to pick up a few things about daughters. Maybe her children attend this school? Must be an intelligent family.

You give the woman a brief goodbye before walking back outside, not wanting to lug the books around any longer than you have to. 

The trip back to your dorm seems longer than the trip to the library did in the first place. Once you get back, someone holds the doors open for you, and Kurloz has seemingly left the dorm. Though he left the door open. You sigh as you walk in, dropping your books onto your bed with a big huff. Your arms feel like spaghetti. That is not a good feeling.

There are still people travelling up and down the hallways at a constant rate, but the air conditioner isn’t doing a super job in your room right now, so you leave the door open. You instead finish up with setting everything up. You connect to the wifi, you set your books up on top of your dresser, you start putting together your school supplies in various binders.

You’re halfway through your second English binder when someone knocks on your doorframe. You turn your head towards them, one eyebrow raised. In the doorway stands a boy with hair long and shaggy enough that you can’t see his eyes. He’s got a neon yellow shirt on that says “sexy dad”, but if he’s actually a dad, you’re concerned for him. He looks like he’s probably the same age as you. 

“Where’s Kurly?” He points to Kurloz’s side of the room. You assume he’s a friend.

“I’m not sure. He was gone when I came back. I can let him know you stopped by if you’d li-”

You don’t get a chance to finish your sentence before he blurts out a “no” and runs down the hall. That’s interesting behavior for someone attending this school. Unless he isn’t attending it. There’s always a chance that he’s just a family or friend helping someone settle in. That must be the case.

Instead of making a big deal about his sudden exit, you get back to work.

An hour flies by fast, and then another, and within the third hour you’re neck deep in an article about how prescription glasses work. You’ve still got the door open, and Kurloz still hasn’t returned from wherever he went off to. You’re just sitting cross legged on your bed, your laptop balanced on your legs. You’re surprised an RA hasn’t shown up yet to give you a packet of rules for the dorm. 

Just as you think that though, someone pops their head in the door.

“Hey! My name is Rufioh. I’m the RA here this year. I just have some packets for ya’ and then I’ll get out of your hair,” he smiles as he steps into your room, dropping two thick packets onto Kurloz’s, as it was closest to the door. 

You smile back at him, happy to finally meet the man that you’d be going to with problems relating to your dorm. You can tell just from the look of him that he’s either Spanish or Filipino. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. But the soccer shirt that he’s wearing hints at him being Spanish, simply because Kurloz had told you about a Spanish soccer player earlier. A soccer player that is also Cronus Ampora’s new roommate. Now you have to talk to him.

“Hello, Rufioh. I’m Kankri. I’m sure you already know my roommate Kurloz. He, obviously, isn’t here at the moment. I’ll make sure that he gets his packet, no worries. It’s nice to meet you,” you stand, placing your laptop on your bed carefully, before walking towards him and extending a hand. 

Rufioh takes your hand and gives it a firm shake, and when he lets go he fistbumps you. Or at least he tries. Your hand is only halfway formed into a fist when he does so, and you’re not so sure that would count.

He laughs, and it causes you to chuckle a bit too. His laugh is contagious. “I’m new here this year. Do you know of anyone that you might be able to introduce me to? So far I’ve only met you and Kurloz. I’d hate to end up with nobody to talk to around here.”

You hope that he’ll mention Cronus. You have no idea why you’re so interested in him. You haven’t even met him. You guess it must just be your curiosity getting the better of you. It happens to the best.

Rufioh nods after a moment, “I know just about everyone here. Most people don’t really like be suggesting they go talk to some random guy, but I could come up with something different. Like maybe if you can tutor, that would work. People around here need it more than you’d think.”

Tutoring is perfect for you. You used to help out people during lunch back at home. You can probably manage tutoring here too. So you speak up, “Yes, that could work. I’ve tutored before, so I see no problem with that. But I’m best with English and social sciences.”

Another nod from Rufioh. You notice that he has a resting happy face. Much preferred to the alternative resting bitch face. You’ve been told that you have that.

You two converse for a few minute before Rufioh excuses himself, claiming that he has to finish passing out those packets. You wish him a nice rest of the day and let him leave, finally closing the door once he’s gone. You sigh to yourself, going back to your bed and closing your laptop. You have a lot to do. You grab a notebook and jot down a short grocery list of things to grab when you have the chance. Kurloz told you earlier that he’d have a mini fridge here by the end of the week, and you agreed to help him stock it. 

Once you run out of ideas of what to add to that list you grab a different notebook. Or more specifically, a journal. You’re starting a new one this year to record the events of your school year here. 

You get lost in your writing. So much has happened already that you just don’t know where to stop. So you don’t. You ramble on and on until you get right to where you are now. You close your leather bound journal and put it off to the side, along with everything else on your bed, before you lay down. It’s been a long day.

You send a text to your dad to inform him that you’re okay before you let yourself fall asleep.


End file.
